Mizrahi Jews
The Mizrahi Jews (Hebrew: יהודים מזרחי ''Yehudim Mizrahim'') (Arabic: اليهود الشرقيين ''Yahud al-Mashriqiyyun'') (Persian: ), also referred to as Adot HaMizrach (Hebrew: עֲדוֹת-הַמִּזְרָח Adot(h) Ha(m)Mizraḥ ''meaning "communities of the East"), are Jews descended from local Jewish communities of the Middle East (as opposed to those from Europe, Africa, and other places). The term ''Mizrahi ''(Hebrew: 'מזרחי') is most commonly used in Israel to refer to Jews who trace their roots back to Arab or Muslim-majority countries. Furthermore, some even reclassify the whole Israeli Jewish society as "Mizrahi" as compared with the Western Jews of Europe and the Americas. Mizrahi Jews from Arab nations who retain fluency in Arabic are known as Musta'arabi Jews, which literally "Arabized Jews" and "Arab Jews" by pan-Arab nationalists, particularily Iraqi Jews. Etymology and Usage The use of the term Mizrahi can be somewhat controversial. Before the establishment of the state of Israel, Mizrahi Jews did not identify themselves as a separate ethnic subgroup. Instead, Mizrahi Jews generally characterized themselves as ''Sephardi, because they follow the traditions of Sephardic Judaism (although with some differences among the minhagim of the particular communities). This has resulted in a conflation of terms, particularly in Israel, and in religious usage, where "Sephardi" is used in a broad sense to include Mizrahi Jews and Maghrebi Jews as well as Sephardim proper. Indeed, from the point of view of the official Israeli rabbinate, any rabbis of Mizrahi origin in Israel are under the jurisdiction of the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel. Today Sephardic rite make up more than half of Israel's Jewish population, and Mizrahi Jews proper are a major part of them. Before the mass immigration of 1,000,000 from the former Soviet Union, mostly of Ashkenazi rite, followers of the Sephardic rite made up over 70% of Israel's Jewish population.[2] "Mizrahi" is literally translated as "Eastern", מזרח (Mizraḥ), Hebrew for "east." In the past the word "Mizrahim," corresponding to the Arabic word Mashriqiyyun (Arabic: الشرقيين literally meaning "Easterners"), referred to the natives of Syria, Iraq and other Asian countries, as distinct from those of North Africa (Maghribiyyun). In medieval and early modern times the corresponding Hebrew word ma'arav was used for North Africa. In Talmudic and Geonic times, however, this word "ma'arav" referred to the land of Israel as contrasted with Babylonia. For this reason many object to the use of "Mizrahi" to include Moroccan and other North African Jews. The term Mizrahim or Edot Hamizraḥ, Oriental communities, grew in Israel under the circumstances of the meeting of waves of Jewish immigrants from the Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia, followers of Ashkenazi, Sephardic and Yemenite rites. In modern Israeli usage, it refers to all Jews from Central and West Asian countries, many of them Arabic-speaking Muslim-majority countries. The term came to be widely used more by so-called Mizrahi activists in the early 1990s. Since then in Israel it has become an accepted semi-official and media designation. Interestingly, most of the "Mizrahi" activists were actually originated from North African Jewish communities, traditionally called "Westerners" (Maghrebi), rather than "Easterners" (Mashreqi). Many Jews originated from Arab and Muslim countries today reject "Mizrahi" (or any) umbrella description and prefer to identify themselves by their particular country of origin, or that of their immediate ancestors, e.g. "Moroccan Jew", or prefer to use the old term "Sephardic" in its broader meaning. History Iraq, Egypt, Yemen and Iran were the jewels of Mizrahi presence in the Middle East prior to the mass exodus of Jews from Muslim lands following the 1948 creation. A lot of the presence came before the Arab and Islamic invasion of those nations, let alone Yemen which was a native Arabian nation. Alot of Jewish scholars, particularily in Egypt produced Judaic texts and commenataries written in the Arabic language using a modified form of the Hebrew-Aramaic block script. 'Yemenite Jews' 'Iraqi Jews' The Jews in Iraq, who are known commonly as Babylonian Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים בָּבְלִים Yehudim Bavlim) in Biblical sources is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c. 586 BC. Iraqi Jews constitute one of the world's oldest and most historically significant Jewish communities. The Jewish community of Babylon included Ezra the scribe, whose return to Judea in the late 6th century BC is associated with significant changes in Jewish ritual observance and the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Talmud was compiled in Babylonia, identified with modern Iraq. From the Babylonian period to the rise of the Islamic caliphate, the Jewish community of Babylon thrived as the center of Jewish learning. The Mongol invasion and Islamic discrimination in the Middle Ages led to its decline. Under the Ottoman Empire, the Jews of Iraq fared better. The community established modern schools in the second-half of the 19th century. In the 20th century, Iraqi Jews played an important role in the early days of Iraq's independence, but the Iraqi Jewish community, numbered at around 120,000 in 1948, almost entirely left the country due to persecution following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Most of them fled to the newly founded state of Israel, and today, fewer than 100 Jews remain in Iraq. 'Egyptian Jews' Egyptian Jews constitute both one of the oldest, historical and youngest Jewish communities in the world. Jewish presence in Egypt is found predominant throughout Old Testament times, to the Roman era and after Alexander the Great's conquest and through the Islamic period. Although the Book of Genesis and Book of Exodus describe a period of Hebrew servitude in ancient Egypt, more than a century of archaeological research has discovered nothing which could support its narrative elements— the four centuries sojourn in Egypt, the escape of well over a million Israelites from the Delta, or the three months journey through the wilderness to Sinai.James Weinstein, "Exodus and the Archaeological Reality", in Exodus: The Egyptian Evidence, ed. Ernest S. Frerichs and Leonard H. Lesko (Eisenbrauns, 1997), p.87 The history of the Alexandrian Jews dates from the foundation of the city by Alexander the Great, 332 BCE, at which they were present. They were numerous from the very outset, forming a notable portion of the city's population under Alexander's successors. The Jewish community of Alexandria was virtually wiped out by Trajan's army during the Jewish revolt of 115–117 CE, which destroyed pagan temples. The Jews of Egypt also produced lots of literature, Judeo-Arabic literature during the Arab rule. The Arab invasion of Egypt at first found support not only from Copts, and other Christians, but from Jews as well, all disgruntled by the corrupt administration of the Patriarch Cyrus of Alexander, notorious for his Monotheletic proselytizing. In addition to the Jews settled there from early times, some must have come from the Arabian Peninsula. The letter sent by Muhammad to the Jewish Banu Janba in 630 is said by Al-Baladhuri to have been seen in Egypt. A copy, written in Hebrew characters, has been found in the Cairo Geniza. Saladin's war with the Crusaders (1169–93) does not seem to have affected the Jews in his kingdom. A Karaite doctor, Abu al-Bayyan al-Mudawwar (d. 1184), who had been physician to the last Fatimid, treated Saladin also. Abu al-Ma'ali, brother-in-law of Maimonides, was likewise in his service. In 1166 Maimonides went to Egypt and settled in Fostat, where he gained much renown as a physician, practising in the family of Saladin and in that of his vizier al-Qadi al-Fadil|Ḳaḍi al-Faḍil al-Baisami, and Saladin's successors. The title Ra'is al-Umma or al-Millah (Head of the Nation or of the Faith), was bestowed upon him. In Fostat, he wrote his Mishneh Torah (1180) and The Guide for the Perplexed, both of which evoked opposition from Jewish scholars. From this place he sent many letters and responsa; and in 1173 he forwarded a request to the North-African communities for help to secure the release of a number of captives. The original of the last document has been preserved. He caused the Karaites to be removed from the court. Saadia ben Yousef (Arabic: سعدية بن يوسف) or better known by his title Saadia Gaon (Hebrew: סעדיה גאון) was a prominent Jewish scholar from Egypt who wrote extensively in the Arabic language (although using Hebrew script). Musta'arabi Jews consider him the father of Judeo-Arabic literature. 'Iranian/Persian Jews' Judaism is among the oldest religions practiced in Iran and the Biblical Book of Esther contains references to the experiences of the Jews in Persia. Jews have had a continuous presence in Iran since the time of Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus invaded Babylon and freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity. According to the Bible, three times during the 6th century BCE, Nebuchadnezzar exiled the Jews (Hebrews) of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon. These three separate occasions are mentioned in Jeremiah (52:28–30). The first exile was in the time of Jehoiachin in 597 BCE, when the Temple of Jerusalem was partially despoiled and a number of the leading citizens removed. After eleven years (during the reign of Zedekiah), a fresh rising of the Judaeans occurred. Jerusalem was razed to the ground, and deportation ensued. Finally, five years later, Jeremiah recorded a third captivity. Cyrus ordered rebuilding the Second Temple in the same place as the first; however, he died before it was completed. Darius the Great came to power in the Persian empire and ordered the completion of the temple. According to the Bible, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah urged this work. The temple was ready for consecration in the spring of 515 BCE, more than twenty years after the Jews' return to Jerusalem. With the Islamic conquest of Persia, the government assigned Jews, along with Christians and Zoroastrians, to the status of dhimmis, non-Muslim subjects of the Islamic empire. Dhimmis were allowed to practice their religion, but were required to pay jizya to cover the cost of financial welfare, security and other benefits that Muslims were entitled to (jizya, a poll tax, and initially also kharaj, a land tax) in place of the zakat, which the Muslim population was required to pay. Like other Dhimmis, Jews were exempt from military draft. Viewed as "People of the Book", they had some status as fellow monotheists, though they were treated differently depending on the ruler at the time. On the one hand, Jews were granted significant economic and religious freedom when compared to their co-religionists in European nations during these centuries. Many served as doctors, scholars, and craftsman, and gained positions of influence in society. On the other hand, like other non-Muslims, they did not work in Sharia Law since they did not have the obvious knowledge and qualifications for it. Language Most Mizrahi Jews today speak Modern Hebrew, since the current mostly reside in Israel. Upon Israel's creation as a state, Jews from Arab and Muslim lands underwent a period of assimilation, adopting fully Hebrew names and teaching their kids in a strict Hebrew-speaking society. However, Arabic is still spoken by the Mizrahi elders as are Persian and Kurdish who teach their kids little to none of these mentioned languages. Like Hebrew, Arabic is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic family, while Persian and Kurdish are Indo-Iranic languages. While Arabic, Persian and Kurdish are mainly written using the Arabic script, those spoken by the Mizrahi Jews in those lands were written in the Hebrew script, a modified form of the Aramaic block script. The predominancy and emergence of the dialect known as Judeo-Arabic came from Jewish scholars living in Muslim territory. Moshe Katsav, a former president of Israel, born an Iranian Jew as Musa Qasab - still retains his fluency in the Persian language. In the modern days, many Israeli Jewish artists and musicians whose ancestors migrated from Arab territory have been trying to recover their roots in Arab culture such as Dana International (actual name is Sharon Cohen) of Yemenite Jewish ancestry and Zehava Ben of Moroccan Jewish ancestry sing songs in Hebrew and Arabic, among other languages as well. Zehava Ben's music is also popular in the Arab World, particularily Egpyt. Cuisine Jews of the Mizrahi communities cook foods that were and are popular in their home countries, while following the laws of kashrut. The cuisine is based largely on fresh ingredients, as marketing was done in the local shuk. Meat is ritually slaughtered in the shehita process, and is soaked and salted. Meat dishes are a prominent feature of sabbath, festival, and celebratory meals. Cooked, stuffed and baked vegetables are central to the cuisine, as are various kinds of beans, chickpeas, lentils and burghul (cracked wheat). Rice takes the place of potatoes. Falafel, a famous Arab dish was brought to Israel both by Mizrahi Jews from Arab lands as well as the presence of Palestinian Arabs in the region. It is accompanied by a dip known as hummus, albeit both have become national snacks of Israel as they would be in Lebanon. Hot sahlab, a liquidy cornstarch pudding originally flavored with orchid powder (today invariably replaced by artificial flavorings), is served in cups as a winter drink, garnished with cinnamon, nuts, coconut and raisins. Arak from the Anis drinks family, is the preferred alcoholic beverage. Rosewater is a common ingredient in cakes and desserts. Malabi, a cold cornstarch pudding, is sprinkled with rosewater and red syrup. Ikaddaif or kadaif is a very sweet pastry similar in style and technique to baklavah. It consists of shredded dough, which is wrapped around crushed nuts, baked and then soaked in syrup. It is common in various parts of the Middle East and is served at festive meals. Notable Mizrahi Jews